about the artist:
janet pirozzi-riolo is a rockland county, new york artist who use to work exclusively in colored pencils. recently she has started dappling in paint.
she earned her art degree from the fashion institute of technology (fit) and has worked for many years designing screen prints and illustration work in the nyc garment district during the 80’s and 90’s.
with her background in fashion, she always draws upon and incorporates color, patterns and style in her work - whether working in actual realism or stylized realism, fashion is always a part of her art.
artist statement:
colored pencil, like returning to an old childhood friend. from when i was a very young child, a pencil was put in my hand. my father, an artist himself, did not want me to have coloring books but instead tucked a blank sketchbook under my arm and said “create your own coloring book!” i have been creating that coloring book for most of my life.
i have worked both on staff and freelance for many different fashion houses, screen print companies, and designers - until motherhood called, but my art never stopped - it just became about children’s art projects and school flyers.
until one day i stumbled upon a local art center offering a class in colored pencil - now 20 years later the medium had grown from just graphite to wax, oil, ink, pastel, graph-tint and even watercolor (my favorite). with colors beyond the imagination.
once i reintroduced myself to the pencil, i started again. realism, surrealism, abstraction, pop art, impressionism - with colored pencil i could do it all!
most recently i have expanded my interests to mixed media and painting. colored pencil will always be my first love - but i feel as an artist i need to start exploring new areas to be my authentic creative self.
colored pencil, still my old friend. with my sketchbook tucked under my arm,
life is good.
janet pirozzi riolo